THREE sites on Skye and Orkney are being allocated a share of a £6 million Scottish Government fund to help them prepare for the tourist season.

Orkney’s Standing Stones of Stenness, Fairy Pools and Neist Point, both on Skye will benefit from the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, which was set up last autumn to address the rise in visitor numbers experienced by some of Scotland’s most popular destinations.

Fiona Hyslop, the Tourism Secretary, has revealed the island projects will receive up to £480,000 towards the completion of urgent work. Orkney Islands Council (OIC) will receive £80,000 to help build a car park at the Standing Stones site, part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.

The Highland Council will receive up to £300,000 on behalf of the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland to develop visitor facilities, including toilets, at the Fairy Pools, near Glenbrittle.

It will also be given £100,000 towards work to improve road access and parking at the Neist Point lighthouse, a landmark and viewpoint at the western tip of the island.

The grants are in addition to £300,000 of public funding announced by the Highland Council on Monday, for road and parking improvements at the Fairy Pools and the Quiraing hiking destination on Skye.

VisitScotland will administer the fund, which will be open from April for applications from local authorities, on behalf of their communities.

Infrastructure improvements – including parking, camping, visitor facilities and recycling points – will all be supported.

“The tourism boom is great news for rural Scotland, bringing jobs and investment to communities,” said Hyslop.

“Yet we are also seeing pressures on services, facilities and transport, which is why we are taking action.

“These pilots in Orkney and Skye will quickly deliver benefits and help us finalise the way the scheme operates, before it opens up soon to more applications from around the country.

“I’m determined that we strike the right balance between sustainably growing tourism with carefully managing our iconic and world-leading destinations – so visitors can continue to enjoy them for generations to come.”

VisitScotland chief executive, Malcolm Roughead, said Scotland’s reputation as a “quality destination” depended on continued investment and innovation to make sure what was currently provided met future demand.

He said: “Scotland’s natural beauty and rural heritage continue to be an irresistible draw for visitors from across world and VisitScotland is committed to working closely with partners to identify appropriate infrastructure requirements to help improve the quality of the visitor experience.”

Alex Paterson, chief executive of Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said: “Enhancing the visitor experience lies at the heart of our investment strategy.

“We are therefore delighted to be working with the Scottish Government and Orkney Islands Council to improve amenities at the Standing Stones of Sternness site for the benefit of visitors and the wider local tourism economy.”

Highland Councillor John Finlayson said: “This is great news, following on from the announcement earlier this week for the funding packages at Fairy Pools and the Quiraing.

“All three projects will provide a significant improvement to the visitor experience.

“Skye is an increasingly popular and unique island and it is important that we meet the needs of the increasing number of tourists who come here, while at the same time also supporting the day to day life styles of our residents.”

James Stockan, leader of OIC, added: “The Standing Stones of Stenness have seen increasing pressure over recent years.

“Any contribution towards upgrading visitor facilities to this popular attraction within our Hearth of Neolithic World Heritage Site is very welcome.”